See Ship Is Successfully Refloated In Corkhttp://www.rte.ie/news/2004/1029/1news/1news56_2a.smil

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=577245

Irish Vote 'Not A Key Factor'

Ancestry has little influence in election

By Ben Lowry in Bostonblowry@belfasttelegraph.co.uk29 October 2004

The US presidential election is looking so tight that it may bedecided by just a few thousand votes as in 2000, yet even in thesecircumstances the Irish-American vote seems likely to be of noinfluence.

Of the millions of US citizens who can claim Irish ancestry, only aminuscule number let it influence their vote.

Kevin Cullen of the Boston Globe, who has covered Northern Irelandfor more than 15 years, says that the ethnic mix doesn't matter inhis city.

"There are people who are passionate about Irish politics but Ihave never seen any empirical evidence that significant numbersvote on how the White House handles Anglo-Irish policy," saidKevin.

Because of the winner-takes-all aspect of America's complicatedelectoral college vote system, candidates do not waste timecampaigning in states that they cannot win.

Less than a dozen states are still in play and none of those havepowerful Irish lobbies.

And Irish-Americans are as likely to be an immovable Bush supporterin Arizona as a Kerry backer in the north east.

However, old party loyalties are becoming more complicated, so thata chunk of the traditional Catholic Irish vote could be steeredaway from their pro-Democratic roots.

Some conservative elements of the Church have urged Catholics tovote on five key moral questions, including abortion, stem cellresearch and gay marriage.

President Bush's strong opposition to all three is in line withthat teaching.

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Voters Know The Value Of SDLP, Says Durkan

Voters will acknowledge the role the SDLP has played in the peaceprocess in next year's Northern Ireland elections, party leaderMark Durkan insisted today.

By:Press Association

As the nationalist party prepared for a convention in Londonderrynext week which will see a radical overhaul of its constitutionahead of the elections, Mr Durkan said the party would fight hardfor Westminster and local government seats.

"There are four particular constituencies in Westminster - three ofwhich we hold in Foyle, South Down and Newry and Armagh and anotherin South Belfast - where we will be marshalling a strong effort,"he said.

"I think we have demonstrated the value of our three MPs - not justin the work they have done at Westminster but also in theirconstituency offices.

"I also think in the Westminster and local government elections,people will see the value in having a strong SDLP backbone in anynationalist representation.

"Recent events have shown the value of the SDLP in thenegotiations, holding people to the Good Friday Agreement.

"We have been a consistent force in the process. We do not duck,weave or dodge our responsibilities. We do not turn our policiesinside out or our principles upside down.

"Even if we are not electorally dominant, people still come back tous for a key read on what is going on in the process."

The SDLP has suffered a number of electoral setbacks in recentyears falling behind Sinn Fein under John Hume`s leadership in the2001 general and local government elections in the popular vote.

In last November`s Assembly Election, Sinn Fein consolidated itsposition as the leading nationalist party with 24 Stormont seatswhile the SDLP saw its representation at Stormont fall to 18 MLAs.

Mr Durkan is expected to face a stiff challenge at the next generalelection for his mentor John Hume`s seat in Foyle from Sinn Feinchairman Mitchel McLaughlin.

Sinn Fein`s Conor Murphy is strongly fancied to capture former SDLPdeputy leader Seamus Mallon`s Newry and Armagh seat following hisdecision to stand down at the next election.

South Down MP Eddie McGrady also faces a stronger Sinn Fein machinein his constituency.

The SDLP is targeting South Belfast as a possible gain, althoughthis would require a significant split in the unionist vote.

Party strategists hope their tough stance in negotiations on futurepower sharing arrangements will reap rewards.

The party has attacked the DUP over its commitment to power sharingand has accused the British and Irish governments and other partiesof indulging the Rev Ian Paisley`s party.

Mr Durkan said voters would also react next year to attempts by theDUP and Sinn Fein to turn Northern Ireland into a two-party state.

The Foyle Assembly member said: "I think the electorate know thereare two parties who want to reduce Northern Ireland to a two-partysystem - the DUP and Sinn Fein.

"(DUP deputy leader) Peter Robinson has made no secret that thetype of party politics he would prefer is a two-party systemfeaturing his party and Sinn Fein.

"It is also very clear that not only does Sinn Fein want to surpassthe SDLP but it wants to remove us altogether.

"I think the electorate will see through that.

"There is an appreciation out there that there is a distinct andnecessary role for the SDLP.

"The feedback we have got back, not least in recent weeks, is thatwe have played a diligent and effective role in upholding the GoodFriday Agreement and have been alert to the shifting and shiftyconditions around the Agreement."

Mr Durkan said his party would also stand on its track record innegotiations, which he contrasted to other parties such as SinnFein.

The SDLP leader said: "I think people have been reminded that wehave clear and honest judgment and that we are actually betternegotiators than some people would suggest -especially those whomake out that they are the best at negotiating.

"If you look at the Joint Declaration last year, what we got wastwo annexes - one setting up the Independent Monitoring Commissionand one on on-the-runs (OTRs - paramilitary fugitives fromjustice).

"This enabled Sinn Fein and the Ulster Unionists to play a game ofstructural evasion, with Sinn Fein claiming it negotiated the OTRsbut not the monitoring commission and vice versa for the UUP.

"But what really happened? Sinn Fein went into talks claiming anymechanism which imposed sanctions on them was a deal breaker as faras they were concerned.

"At the end of the day, (UUP leader) David Trimble got the IMC setup and legislation for sanctions which could be imposed on SinnFein.

"Sinn Fein did not even get any legislation for the return of theOTRs.

"If we had negotiated that sort of package, Sinn Fein would havebeen out there crucifying us."

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=577223

Prayers For Ulster Hostage Held By Taliban

29 October 2004

Residents in the tiny Co Armagh village of Richhill were in turmoiltoday as they waited for news of a local taken captive by theTaliban in Afghanistan.

Annetta Flanigan, who was born in the village and worked in nearbyPortadown as a solicitor before travelling the world with the UN,was captured along with two UN colleagues in the Afghan capitalKabul yesterday.

Nato troops and Afghan forces were involved in the hunt to find MsFlanigan, who was seized at gunpoint sparking fears of Iraq-styleatrocities.

US military chiefs said its soldiers were ready to help "locate andif needs be to rescue these individuals when they are found".

A man claiming to speak for a Taliban splinter group, Jamiat Jaish-al Muslimeen, said it was responsible for the kidnappings.

Ms Flanigan's family were today said to be "gravely concerned" forher safety.

Neighbours in Richhill said Ms Flanigan, aged in her 30s, had notbeen home for years but was planning to return with her Spanishhusband to the village at Christmas time.

The grey-brick terrace where she was brought up and where herelderly mother Esther still lives was dark today, and earlier afriend said they did not wish to speak about the crisis.

Esther's deceased husband Russell ran a furniture business, whichthe family still have, which is situated beside their home on IrishStreet, the main village thoroughfare.

The village was swamped by camera crews and journalists, and peopleliving nearby said they were shattered by the news.

"Whenever you hear about hostage takings and it is so close to homeit really starts to hit you," said neighbour Allen Patton.

"I know the family well and you would have seen the kids about thevillage whenever they were growing up.

"Our prayers are with her, you can only hope that she is OK. Herfather died at a funeral, it must be ten years ago. The family havebeen there all the time I have been here."

Local councillor Freda Donnelly said the Flanigans were wellestablished in the village and added that Ms Flanigan had not beenhome for at least ten years.

"They are a very quiet family, they go to church and are basicallyupstanding citizens."

The Rector of St Matthew's Church of Ireland in the village, DavidCoe, said he had visited the family and pointed out that they weresimply waiting for any news coming out of Kabul.

"Our prayers are with them at this time, the family are not makingany comment but we are just giving them what support we can," hesaid.

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http://u.tv/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=52202&pt=n

No Dilution Of GFA, Says Adams

Sinn Fein will not stomach any proposals to restore devolutionwhich erode the Good Friday Agreement, Gerry Adams warned lastnight.

By:Press Association

As British and Irish government officials continued to work on aformula aimed at bridging the gaps between unionists andnationalists over power sharing, the Sinn Fein leader againinsisted his party wanted to achieve a comprehensive and holisticdeal.

The West Belfast MP said: "We have made it clear that republicansare prepared to face up to the challenges which this presents.

"But Sinn Fein is not prepared to countenance any dilution orerosion of the Good Friday Agreement - that remains the objectiveof the DUP."

Sinn Fein and the nationalist SDLP have clashed with the ReverendIan Paisley`s Democratic Unionists over changes they want to theoperation of the multi-party power-sharing government at Stormont.

The DUP has been pressing for mechanisms which would make power-sharing ministers more accountable for their decisions to cabinetcolleagues and enable the Assembly to overturn unpopular decisions.

Nationalists have argued that what the DUP really wants is toexercise a veto over the work of other parties` ministers.

They have also accused the DUP of trying to limit the scope of andstymie the work of cross-border institutions involving Stormontministers and their Irish government counterparts.

Mr Adams said last night the British and Irish governments had tounderstand in the current negotiations to restore power sharingthat there was no middle line between the Good Friday Agreement andthe anti-Agreement position of the Democratic Unionists.

"It is their responsibility to defend the core fundamentals andprinciples of the Agreement and to make it clear that they cannotbe changed," he argued.

"Therefore, if there is to be a deal then the two governments needto drive the process forward while making it clear that any dealmust be within the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.

"If the DUP do not accept this reality, then the pro-Agreementmajority, including the two governments, need to move on.

"The DUP cannot be allowed to paralyse the process of change."

Meanwhile, in a speech tonight to party colleagues in Bangor, NorthDown, DUP Assembly member George Dawson challenged claims that hisparty had shifted on to the policies once put forward by DavidTrimble`s Ulster Unionists.

The East Antrim MLA told colleagues: "The DUP is determined thatthe situation created by the Ulster Unionists is turned around.

"We are also seeing a remarkable turnaround of confidence amongstthe unionist community since the defeatists and the defeated of theUUP were swept aside.

"Our policies have turned governments and other parties around. Allthat is to be welcomed.

"In recent days much has been made of our statement that thefundamentals of the Agreement, as outlined to us by the Britishgovernment, are not in conflict with DUP policy.

"Our opponents have seized on this and cried U-turn. But what isthe truth of the matter?

"Our opponents have strangely and conveniently forgotten that thiswas not always the British government`s position.

"Once upon a time government, and the pro-Agreement parties` stancewas that we had to take the Agreement, the whole Agreement andnothing but the Agreement.

"Northern Ireland, it seemed, possess the only constitution in theworld that was not able to be changed, they argued.

"That position has now noticeably changed. Now it is just thefundamentals that remain."

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=577214

Drug Raids Resulted In IRA Threats, Nightclub Owner Tells Court

By John Maddock29 October 2004

Nightclub owner Frank Shortt told the High Court yesterday he hadclosed his nightclub in Inishowen, Co Donegal, for a time "in thehope of staying alive" after a Denis Bradley from Northern Irelandhad told him in September 1993 that the IRA had issued a threatagainst him.

The IRA threat came after significant publicity about raids on thePoint Inn by a large number of gardai, and media articles sayingthe raids were carried out as part of a crackdown on illegal drugs,the court heard.

On the second day of a hearing to assess what compensation MrShortt should receive arising from his wrongful conviction andthree-year sentence imposed in 1995 on drug charges, Mr Shortt saidthat during the raids, in 1992 and 1993, many customers were"violently and shockingly" treated by gardai.

On one occasion, one girl was made to stand spread-eagled in thewoman's toilets while a male garda shone a torch down her lowerwaist area and a female garda put her hand inside the girl'sunderwear, he said. Several young men were also told to lower theirtrousers while torches were shone on their rears.

He said gardai also caused damage to his premises. They had usedsledgehammers to break down emergency doors although the main doorwas open and chairs and tables were also damaged.

Immediately after the raids, he had written many letters ofcomplaint to senior gardai who supervised the searches in Donegal,the Garda Commissioner, the chief executive of the Garda ComplaintsBoard and two Ministers for Justice about the "disgraceful conduct"of the gardai, Mr Shortt said.

His parish priest had "referred to us by name" from the pulpit onone occasion and congratulated the gardai. A number of people inhis community had come together to collect signatures for apetition regarding his business.

Edward Comyn SC, for the State, said he would be resisting anysuggestion that there was harassment of Mr Shortt by gardai.

In proceedings against the Garda Commissioner and the State, MrShortt (69), a married father of five of Redcastle, is seekingseveral million euro compensation arising from his wrongfulconviction and three-year jail sentence on charges of knowinglyallowing the sale of drugs at the Point Inn premises.

The hearing continues.

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=577265

Huge Weapons Cache Seized

Bladed knuckle dusters in haul

By Jonathan McCambridgejmccambridge@belfasttelegraph.co.uk29 October 2004

Customs officers at Aldergrove have made their largest ever seizureof potentially deadly weapons - including bladed knuckle dustersand machetes.

In total 338 potentially lethal weapons were intercepted at theInternational Airport yesterday on their way to Northern Irelandfrom the US.

So far there has been no comment on the intended final destinationof the haul, which also included knives.

Customs' head of anti-smuggling in Northern Ireland ColinMcAllister said: "It is Customs' responsibility to prevent theentry of all manner of weapons into the country as part of ourongoing activity to monitor freight entering through our ports andairports.

"This operation has stopped a substantial amount of potentiallyharmful weapons reaching our streets and is the largest singleconsignment of offensive weapons we have ever seized enteringNorthern Ireland."

Inquiries are ongoing into the consignment, which arrived in theprovince on a flight from New Jersey.

Antrim UUP councillor Adrian Watson welcomed the actions of theCustoms officials but said it was important that the eventuallocation for the weapons was uncovered.

He said: "When you consider the nature of the weapons which havebeen discovered, they are deadly and could have caused horrificinjuries or worse if they had ended up on our streets.

"There are already too many knives and offensive weapons on ourstreets, so anything which disrupts this has to be welcomed."

"It also raises important concerns about where these weapons arecoming from and where they are going to and I hope customsofficials and police will be able to carry out a thoroughinvestigation into this."

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=577221

Unarmed Guards At Police Bases Storm

Security disaster fears over Pearson revelation

By Jonathan McCambridgejmccambridge@belfasttelegraph.co.uk29 October 2004

Serious fears have been raised today about security at NorthernIreland's police bases after it emerged that unarmed civilian staffare guarding almost 40 local stations.

In a written parliamentary answer Security Minister Ian Pearsonsaid that six stations in the province had all their externalsecurity supplied by "unarmed independent security firms" whileanother 32 had part of their security supplied by the guards.

In the wake of a gun attack on Randalstown police station this weekSouth Antrim MP David Burnside said the Chief Constable must nowrethink his decision on the future of the full-time Reserve, whoseofficers provide the bulk of security cover at local stations.

He also said that the policy of scaling down security at stationsshould now be reversed.

The Security Minister confirmed that there are currently 155 policestations in Northern Ireland, of which 114 are externally guarded.

Seventy-six of the stations have all their external securitysupplied by Reserve members.

However, of the remaining number, Mr Pearson said: "There are sixpolice stations externally guarded by unarmed independent securityfirms and the remaining 32 by a combination of independent securityfirms and full-time Reserve officers."

The Minister also revealed the cost of paying civilian guards toprovide security at police stations was Â£3.42 million a year.

Mr Burnside said: "What will happen when the full-time Reserve isdownsized? Will all the stations be guarded by unarmed securityfirms?

"There should be no scaling down of security at any police stationuntil we have a totally normalised society and what happened atRandalstown shows we have not yet achieved that. Nobody wants bigperimeter fences around police stations long term, but while wehave these armed organisations running around they must remain."

The UUP man described unarmed security cover at local policestations as a "waste of time and money".

"This could be a security disaster. What good is an unarmedsecurity guard if someone is firing a gun at you from a passingvan?

"There is a police station I know well in County Antrim which isalready being manned by unarmed security officers and recently Iwas able to walk straight into it without being recognised; thisdemonstrates that these people have no local knowledge whatsoever."

A police spokesman said: "The Chief Constable and his SeniorManagement Team made an operational policing decision about thefuture of the full-time Reserve based on a substantial securityreview.

"The decision will not take effect until April 2005, and at thatpoint, 680 officers will be retained for a further three years,primarily for security reasons.

"Randalstown is a limited opening station and has never had apermanent security presence."

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=577242

Boyne Battle Over Incinerator Plant

Protests raised in fightback as plan advances

By Michael McHughnewsdesk@belfasttelegraph.co.uk29 October 2004

Plans for an incinerator close to the Battle of the Boyne site inCo Meath moved a step closer today after it emerged that a draftwaste licence has been issued to the developers of the plant.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted the licenceto Indaver Ireland for the company's proposed waste incinerator atCarranstown, County Meath.

The site is close to where the Battle of the Boyne was fought andthe Orange Order has campaigned vociferously against the plan,arguing that it would damage the UNESCO-recognised world heritagesite.

The EPA has imposed a number of conditions on the licence toaddress health concerns about the plant, including action to dealwith waste gases produced by the facility and tightly regulateddioxin and heavy metal gas discharges.

Plans to grant the licence are now open to a 28-day consultationperiod during which objectors can have their say.

"The EPA is satisfied that operation of the facilities inaccordance with the conditions of the licence will not endangerhuman health or harm the environment in the vicinity of thefacilities or over a wider area," the agency said today.

"The Office of Environmental Enforcement will monitor and enforcethese conditions through environmental audits, unannounced sitevisits and systematic checks on emissions.

"The EPA will also conduct dioxin surveys on an annual basis tomonitor levels in the areas adjacent to the incinerators."

Mid-Ulster Assemblyman and Orangeman Billy Armstrong has led thecampaign against the plant and said he was disappointed by today'sdecision.

"I have no problem with incinerators, my problem is with where theyare situated. I do not mind if they are sited in an industrial areabut they should not go in a tourist attraction area," he said.

"The Boyne Valley has a cement factory in it which is nearing theend of its lifespan but now an incinerator is being put there andit will be an eyesore in an area which could have recovered well.

"It is an area where we had a European battle which changed thewhole ethos of Ireland and they are going to build an incineratorthere when it could be sited somewhere else."

The General Manager of Indaver Ireland, John Ahern, said he wasdelighted by the news.

"We are pleased that the EPA has satisfied themselves thatincineration facilities can be operated safely in Ireland understrict regulatory control.

"We must now assess the conditions attached to our licences toensure that our facilities can be operated with maximum health andenvironmental protection while providing an economicallysustainable solution for Ireland's waste," he said.

"Incineration, or waste-to-energy, is an important element of anintegrated waste management system which Ireland will require if itis to develop a modern system for both hazardous and non-hazardouswaste, similar to regions with high environmental standards, suchas Sweden, Switzerland or Germany."

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EU Allowance Plan Excessive, Says De Brun

By Simon Taylor in Brussels29 October 2004

Sinn Fein's Euro MP is opposing plans to give MEPs an extra Â£17,000a year to pay their secretaries.

Bairbre de Brun said yesterday that plans being discussed in theEuropean Parliament to increase allowances for secretaries andadministrative costs by Â£1,400 a month would further damage theEU's already poor reputation for profligacy.

"There is a widespread perception that the EU is financiallyexessive and squanders money," Ms de BrÃºn said.

"There is no real mechanism to provide adequate transparency orchecks on how such money is used.

"While there are costs involved in running offices in Brussels,Strasbourg and local constituencies, the increase is excessive."

She said MEPs' current allowance was "more than sufficient" foroperating within the EU institutions and from home.

MEPs voted yesterday to set aside the money for the increase whilewaiting from an explanation from the European Parliament Presidentfor the need for the increase.

EP President Josep Borrell wants the allowance increased to Â£10,000a month to take account of MEPs' greater workload following theEU's enlargement to 25 countries.

The move to increase the allowance comes even though efforts toensure that MEPs can only claim for genuine travel expenses aredeadlocked.

At present, MEPs can claim for the price of a full fare airlineticket between their home constituencies and the Parliament'sheadquarters even if they find a cheaper ticket. Many MEPs takeadvantage of this loophole to boost their salaries which are basedon the earnings of a national MP.

Or rather, let us now contemplate how Irish writer Edna O'Briensees Irish women.

During her long career, the fiery, famous and intensely Irishnovelist and playwright has had nine books banned in her nativeland for raw language and sexual attitudes.

I can imagine the same being demanded there for her new play,"Triptych," now on stage at New York's Irish Repertory Theatre,where, happily, such censorship is a total stranger.

O'Brien, 72, often writes of profanely sexual and powerful womenwilling to employ any means to keep hold of their men, no matterthat the men can be as weak, unfaithful and despicable as they arepersonally charming.

While the strength and determination are in concert with modern-dayfeminism, the channeling of these virtues into the pursuit of malesis decidedly not.

In "Triptych," a charming rotter of a writer named Henry is theobject of the obsessions of three women: his attractive wife,Pauline, played with Shakespearean relish by Irish-American stageand screen actress Margaret Colin ("First Daughter," "Speaking inTongues"); his English actress mistress Clarissa, a wan wantonoddly performed by movie and TV star Ally Sheedy; and his daddy'sgirl of a daughter Brandy (Carrie Specksgoor, lately of TennesseeWilliams' "Five by Ten").

The character Henry never actually appears.

"By not having Henry on stage, the three of us can pick our ownimage of him," Colin said. "Mine is Gabriel Byrne. He does have oneof those killer smiles and he's charming, and the films he'screated are not unlike this play. And the Irish thing is verystrong."

In contrast, Sheedy steers by the image of U2's Bono.

"Ally has a soft spot for rockers," Colin said.

The daughter of an Irish-American New York cop, Irish-American onboth sides of her family for generations and married to Irish-American television actor Justin Deas, Colin knows something of theworld from where O'Brien is coming.

And, despite ethnic sensitivities to the contrary, it is a worldfull of sex and hard language.

"Edna likes to use the C-word, and she likes to ruffle feathers,"Colin said. "That's why she was banned in Ireland. She just boldlygoes there.

"I think she believes women live there (in that sexual world) andshe uses all the language for it that she can. She believes womenare about their vaginas and that they use it as a weapon as well asa reproductive opportunity."

But the sex is combined with more identifiably Irish traits.

"A sense of humor," Colin said. "A sense of stoicism. What Ednadoes and Brian Friel did and certainly what I was raised with andis still a tradition for people of Irish heritage is (the figureof) a very strong woman. Really, really strong. When the writerswrite for them, they love them, even when they're doing somethingas dark and hateful as in `The Beauty Queen of Leenane.' They'revery, very strong women of incredible passion and determination tolive or suffer grandly. There's nothing passive-aggressive aboutthem. And they also see the situation with a sense of humor."

The fictional Pauline undergoes therapy and jumps into the whiskeyjar with great frequency and abandon, but neither deters her fromher relentless, obsessive, manipulative and bullying course in heralmost manic effort to pry her husband away from Clarissa - or viceversa.

With Pauline at one point employing even a kiss and (truncated)lesbian seduction of her rival, she brings Clarissa to the point ofmadness.

But much too late.

"Politically now, you ask, `Why are these women fighting over aman?'" Colin said. "Why doesn't Pauline, in the year 2004, docharity work or get a job of her own? Only she goes the other wayand I like it. It may not be a feminist pedestal to stand on, butthe I think the papers are filled with (stories of) women fightingover their men."

Unlike Irish Rep's 2003 masterpiece, "Bedbound," its production of"Triptych" is not much for Irish slang or accent. Colin andSpecksgoor speak straightforwardly but are believably Irish.Sheedy's British accent is on a par with Arnold Schwarzenegger's.

"When I did `A Day in the Death of Joe Egg' with two British actorson stage, I found you really have to put in a separate eight hoursof rehearsal to get an accent down," Colin said in her colleague'sdefense. With Sheedy, "It wasn't really getting there, so they toldher they'd let her let herself up so she could enjoy being thecharacter without worrying about the accent. Anthony Hopkins in`Nixon' didn't even try (an American accent) and everybody forgavehim for it."

Colin admits to feeling squeamish about some of O'Brien's words.

"I was reading the language to my husband and our nanny almost fellover, saying, `I can't imagine you saying those words,'" Colinsaid, "but I knew Edna's writing, and the opportunity to play oneof her women from that singularly literary mind was too good topass up.

Cian Connaughton points to a consumer spend which is rising by 3%year on year and says "Grafton Street is a very attractive marketfor international retail outlets who want a slice of our 63bn euroannual spend on goods and services."

The research by London firm Cushman, Wakefield, Healey and Baker(CWHB) shows that rents on the premier street have soared by 46% injust 12 months to an annual fee of 3,372 euro per sq m.

This compares with Fifth Avenue costs which are 8,020 euro per sqm, on the Champs Elysees the cost is 6,118 euro while the cost onCauseway Bay in Hong Kong is 4,900 euro. The Oxford Street costsare euro 4,452.

Mr Connaughton says the rents reflect the huge number of retailerstrying to get into the Irish market and especially into Dublin citycentre where improved transport has made it very attractive.

He does not accept that consumers necessarily have to pay higherprices for goods to offset the rental costs.

"For a lot of retailers its not so much to make money as to have apresence on Grafton Street where on Saturday's 20,000 consumerspass through the street each hour. It's huge advertising for theirbrand."

David Hutchings, head of research for CWHB says the jump in GraftonStreet rents "reflects the health of the wider Irish economy".

"It shows not just the growth of general affluence but also thegrowth of a specific affluent high-net-worth individual groupwithin the market."

Hugh Markey, head of retail at Lisney Estate Agents, also links therise in rents to Ireland's continued increasing affluence - now the4th wealthiest OECD country.

"This has been recognised by the major international multiples whohave 'discovered' Ireland in more recent times," he said.

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Sea Dog Disputes Titanic Iceberg Theory

By Ben Lowryblowry@belfasttelegraph.co.uk29 October 2004

A sailor who has spent decades navigating the North Atlantic claimsto have solved the mystery of what exactly caused the Titanic tosink in 1912.

It is widely thought that the Belfast-built liner hit an iceberg onits maiden voyage to the United States, but LM Collins has writtena book describing the true formation as "pack ice".

This is a floating mass of ice that drifts with the sea andcurrents - a culprit that was "obvious to an experienced mariner".

Captain Collins points out that an iceberg was never found.

If correct, the Canadian's theory would clear many of those whowere accused of misconduct including the Titanic's master, CaptainSmith.

"Human error was to blame, but not those who were traditionallyblamed," he concludes.

Captain Collins, who started work on cargo and passenger ships in1947, was an ice pilot for many years. Now retired, he long doubtedthe iceberg theory.

His newly published book, The Sinking of the Titanic: The MysterySolved, includes reproductions of original documents from the shipand nautical maps and charts which are said to prove hisinterpretation of the disaster.

Captain Collins has also examined witness statements and courts ofinquiry to analyse the evidence.

"The truth," he writes, "lies hidden in the statements given bysurvivors of the Titanic's crew."

The liner was sunk 300 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, whichis where Captain Collins was born.

Dr Ian Adamson, an Ulster historian with an interest in theTitanic, said: "It sounds like a reasonable theory. I have alwaysfelt that Captain Smith, who was a very experienced mariner, had abad press."

The Sinking of the Titanic: The Mystery Solved is published bySouvenir Press and is on sale for Â£14.99.

The Pope, who retains his sense of humour, was reminding friendsand staff in the Vatican today that reports of his imminent demisehad been greatly exaggerated exactly a year ago.

Alarm bells were ringing loudly in October 2003 when His Holinessfell ill amid speculation that he wouldn't see Christmas.

But the 84-year-old Pontiff amazed his physicians by staging arecovery - and arranging to go touring in his Popemobile onceagain.

"Religious commentators who had the white smoke puffing for a newPope were made to look silly," said a priest in St Peter's Squaretoday. "There were even rumours here in Rome this time last yearthat he was already dead.

"However, this Pontiff is fiercely determined to fulfil a fewdreams before he dies. He wasn't ready to go in the autumn of 2003and he isn't ready yet."

But the Pope, a former goalkeeper in his young days back in hisnative Poland, is frail and has had to give up his dailyconstitutionals in his favourite gardens by the Sistine Chapel.

A guide in the Chapel explained: "We used to see His Holiness outin the gardens quite regularly. He liked to be there in the quietto contemplate. Now he only makes brief and rare visits to pause onthe lawns underneath the trees. And of course now he is in awheelchair and always accompanied by nurses and assistants."

In the Vatican the Pope has been discussing plans for another visitto Malta, one of his favourite places and where he would havelittle difficulty travelling to in spite of his frail condition.

Malta is largely Roman Catholic and the people adore the Pope andhave been pleading with him to return for what would be his thirdvisit to their country.

But although the Pontiff is anxious to see Ireland one more time -he was first in the Republic in 1979 and called the Irish his mostloyal flock - the chances of him making the journey are slim.

There was speculation earlier in the year that Pope John wouldaccept an invitation from Irish Bishops and travel to Ireland 25years after that earlier trip. Now the chances of a second Papalvisit are remote, say Catholic authorities.

"Pope John recovered dramatically from his illness last year - butobviously he is not robust or strong," said the Vatican priest. "Along, tiring journey to Ireland might be beyond him. Although ithas not been ruled out."

As supporters and media filled the courtroom yesterday, eagerlyawaiting a decision on Ciaran Ferry's habeas corpus petition, JudgeNottingham determined that he would not make a public ruling thatday. Instead, he stated that he now plans to rule in a week or so.

Judge Nottingham would not permit Ciaran's legal team to presentany evidence or witnesses, and Ciaran was not able to speak on hisbehalf. Ciaran's legal team had requested that they be permitted afull evidentiary hearing, arguing that Ciaran's conviction in ajuryless Diplock court in Northern Ireland could not be recognizedunder U.S. jurisprudence. Judge Nottingham indicated that he hadalready drafted his opinion based on the written submissions andhad no need to hear witnesses or accept any further evidence.Legal observers found this to be ominous and believe that JudgeNottingham may rule that he has no jurisdiction to question theAttorney General's decision in this case.

Ciaran's counsel wanted to know what was the government's positionon releasing Ciaran. The government representatives replied: "Mr.Ferry holds the keys to his jail cell himself. If he wants toreturn to the United Kingdom, he is free to do so where he isn'tunder threat of bodily harm".

After the hearing, Ciaran's supporters stated that they wereconfused and disappointed at the very brief 10 minute proceedingwhich the Judge allowed on oral argument to discuss this case.Ciaran has been waiting for a decision for over a year and a halfsince the preliminary hearing on this matter.

Ciaran Ferry stated that he is in good spirits and wanted to extendhis appreciation to all of the supporters who sent letters ofsupport to him and his family and to those who attended thehearing.

The courtroom was overrcome with emotional when the U.S. Marshall'spermitted Ciaran to briefly hold his 3 year old daughter, Fiona forthe first time in two years and to embrace his wife, Heaven.Ciaran has been on no-contact restrictions since his incarcerationover two years ago.

Heaven believes that her family's situation is now very precarious"If Judge Nottingham does not challenge the government's illegalactions in denying my husband his due process rights he will forceus to return with our 3 year old daugther to Belfast where myhusband is on a loyalist hit list".

On a cold Saturday afternoon in October, Malachy McAllister standsoutside the James A. Byrne U.S. Courthouse at Sixth and Marketstreets.

It is the first time the 47-year-old Wallington, N.J., resident islaying eyes on the building where his family's future will soon bedecided by the Third Circuit Superior Court of Appeals.

"This is where it will end," he says, appraising the plain, brickfacade.

For nearly nine years, McAllister, a thick-shouldered man, withsalt-and-pepper stubble and piercing blue eyes, has been fightingto secure a life in America for he and his family. More than twodecades ago, McAllister took action against a British government hedeemed "oppressors." For that, the United States Justice Departmentwants to deport the McAllisters back to Northern Ireland, ahomeland they fled 16 years ago, fearing for their lives.

In the eyes of the United States government, McAllister, a masonand father of four, is a terrorist, a "threat to the security" ofthe country.

Last month, the Third Circuit Court began reviewing the case ofMcAllister v. Ashcroft. A decision will be handed down sometimeearly next year. It will be a final determination of theMcAllisters' fate. The decision will also offer legal precedentinto what exactly it means to be a "terrorist."

"Whose purpose does it serve to see my family torn apart?" he asks,buttoning up his suit jacket as the wind picks up. "What threat doI pose to anyone?"

McAllister was raised Catholic in the Lower Ormeau Road section ofBelfast in the strife-torn Northern Ireland of the 1970s. He cameof age at the height of "the troubles"Âthe sectarian violencebetween the Catholic minority opposed to British rule and theProtestant majority loyal to the crown.

As Catholics, the McAllisters were second-class citizens. They hadfew civil rights and endured daily humiliations at the hands of theBritish occupationary forces.

As a child, Malachy witnessed his father being beaten at a civilrights protest. Other times, he watched as family members andneighbors were hauled off to government prison campsÂoften withoutreason.

McAllister's neighborhood was known as the "Murder Mile" because ofhow frequently the loyalist paramilitary squads visited.

He was 16 the first time he watched a friend die in the street. Itwas Jim Templeton, his best friend, shot dead in a loyalist drive-by outside The Rose and Crown, Ormeau Road's local Catholic pub.McAllister was standing just a few feet away.

"Catholics were being murdered left, right and center,'" he says."We were in a full-scale civil war."

On one occasion, a gun was put to McAllister's head as he wasordered off a work site in a Protestant neighborhood.

McAllister was 22 when he cast his lot with the Irish NationalLiberation Army and helped plot two strikes against the RoyalUlster Constabulary (RUC), Belfast's predominantly Protestantpolice force, which often aided the loyalist paramilitaries intheir attacks against Catholic civilians. On a hot summer day in1981, McAllister took part in an ambush on a RUC convoy travelingdown Ormeau Road. He served as a lookout for a shooter. One RUCofficer was wounded with a gunshot to the leg.

"I regret what I did," says McAllister. "But it was a time when youwere called upon to stand up and fight back."

A paid informant soon betrayed McAllister. Under interrogation,British authorities told McAllister that his wife, BernadetteÂastrong-willed, blonde beauty he met along Ormeau RoadÂand theirgrowing family would be in danger if he didn't sign a confession.Malachy spent nearly four years in the H-Blocks, the political wingof Northern Ireland's notorious Long Kesh prison.

After his 1985 release, Malachy tried to put the resistance behindhim and took construction work to support his family. But the RUCwas not willing to forgive McAllister's past. In one particularlybrutal incident, members of the RUC forced Bernadette to watch asthey savagely beat her husband with the butts of their rifles.

On the night of Oct. 2, 1988, two loyalist gunmen disguised inHalloween masks showed up at the McAllisters' home. An RUC contacthad provided them with the address. Malachy and Bernadette weren'thome that night, but three of their four children were inside withtheir grandmother. The gunmen calmly pointed their AK-47s at thefront room and fired off 26 rounds. One of the gunmen spotted thechildren through a bedroom window and turned his weapon on them.Amazingly, the McAllister family escaped unhurt.

Three months later, the McAllisters fled BelfastÂmoving first toToronto, and then, in 1996, to New Jersey.

The family entered the country legally, immediately applied forpolitical asylum and went about creating a life in America. Malachybegan a masonry business, enrolled the kids in school and joinedthe local parish. Gary and Jaime, the two oldest McAllisterchildren, married Jersey girls. Nicola, the third oldest, is nowapplying to colleges. Sean, the youngest, is a standout receiver onthe high school football team.

In October 2000, after a lengthy trial, a federal immigration judgeordered Malachy deported due to his past conviction in Belfast butgranted asylum to Bernadette and the children. The judge ruled thatthe McAllister family had suffered "extreme persecution" andendured a "constant campaign of harassment."

McAllister filed an appeal against his deportation, and thegovernment appealed the asylum granted to his family.

A bad omen came in July 2003, when John McNicholl, another formermember of the Irish National Liberation Army who had livedpeacefully with his family in Upper Darby for almost 20 years, wasseized and deported. At 5:30 a.m. July 17, McNicholl stepped outhis front door to head off to work when federal immigration agentsswarmed. He was put in handcuffs and thrown into the back of a van.His son cried out in protest, but nothing could be done. Withinhours, McNicholl was hustled aboard a plane back to Ireland, in alllikelihood never to see Upper Darby again.

Last November, amongst friends and family, Malachy and Bernadettecelebrated their 25th wedding anniversary at a local pub inWallington. There was music and dancing, and the party stretchedinto the wee hours. "We were so happy to have endured as a couple,as a family, after all we've been through," remembers Malachy.

Days later, Malachy received a call he had been dreading. The Boardof Immigration Appeals (BIA), under the jurisdiction of the JusticeDepartment, had completely reversed the initial ruling.

Bernadette and the kids had 30 days to leave the country. Malachywas considered a fugitive.

Twenty federal agents clad in jumpsuits descended on the McAllisterhome on the morning of Nov. 21, 2001. Malachy wasn't there. Agentscamped outside for a week and, according to Malachy, repeatedlytaunted his wife and threatened the family with arrest.

The McAllisters' congressman, Democrat Steve Rothman, quickly firedoff a letterÂco-signed by ten other members of CongressÂto HomelandSecurity Director Tom Ridge on the family's behalf.

"This whole case is a great injustice," wrote Rothman. "TheMcAllisters fled violent, political persecution and found refugehere in America. They should not be forced to return to NorthernIreland, under any circumstances, where they might well facefurther attempts on their lives."

When denying McAllister's plea for asylum, the BIA ruled thatconditions have improved in Northern Ireland enough that theMcAllisters would not be in danger if they were forced to return.McAllister expressed disbelief. His enemies are waiting, he says,and that his case has garnered a lot of publicity back home onlymakes him more of a target.

"Belfast may have changed some," he says. "But the same people whoattacked my home in 1988 are still in power today."

McAllister also received broad support from Irish-Americans stillsimmering from the McNicholl case. (On Monday, McNicholl'sattorneys plans to file a petition with U.S. Supreme Courtrequesting judicial review.)

"Irish-Americans who have for so long been law-abiding citizenshave now become outlaws," says Ned McGinley, president of theAncient Order of Hibernians and former president of thePennsylvania chapter. "It is a misuse of Homeland Securitypersonnel and finance. It may help them bump up their statistics,but it is not fighting terrorism."

Indeed, there has been, in the wake of 9/11, a widespread crackdownon Irish immigrants with nationalist pasts, who for years haveenjoyed lax immigration standards, especially under the Clintonadministration, which was heavily involved in brokering the 1998Good Friday Peace Accord in Northern Ireland.

"They have lumped us up with other groups," says McGinley.

When reached for comment on the McAllister case, Kerry Gill, aspokesperson for the Newark office of Immigrations and CustomsEnforcement of the Department of the Homeland Security, declined toanswer any questions.

With Rothman's support, the McAllister family was granted atemporary reprieve by the Homeland Security Department. ThisJanuary, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to review hiscase, finding that it raised several constitutional issues.

The BIA found that McAllister had "engaged in terroristactivities." McAllister's lawyer, Eamonn Dornan, is asking theThird Circuit Court to clarify the exact definition of that phrase,a legal exacting that could offer wide-ranging precedent in thesepost-9/11 times.

"Our argument is that there is no clear, precise definition of what"engaging in terrorist activities' actually means," explainsDornan. "Because it is so overly broad, it becomesunconstitutional."

Dornan argues that McAllister's actions should not be viewed asterrorism since they took place during a political uprising, inwhich the United States was neutral, and targeted combatants ratherthan civilians. Even if the court finds McAllister did indeedengage in terrorist activities, argues Dornan, that does notautomatically mean there exists, as the BIA ruled, "reasonablegrounds for regarding that person as a danger to the security ofthe United States."

There is legal precedent supporting Dornan's argument that a one-size-fits-all approach cannot be applied to terrorism.

"What have I done over the last 16 years," he asks, "besides raisemy kids, pay my taxes, be a good citizen and prove that I am nothreat to the United States?"

In April of this year, Bernadette McAllister was diagnosed withovarian cancer. She died six weeks later, on her 46th birthday.Malachy was holding her hand.

More than 400 mourners showed up for her funeral Mass. A number ofpoliticians attended. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, of New York,sent a Mass Card. Malachy read a eulogy.

"You are free at last," he said. "I love you and I will always missyou."

Because of the uncertainity of the McAllisters' future,Bernadette's remains were cremated after the Mass. Where her asheswill rest permanently depends on the court decision.

"Every day without my wife is a struggle," he says now, outside thecourthouse, choking up. "She had to endure so much over the years,just to try and raise her family in peace."

He pulls a memorial card from his suit jacket. It contains asmiling photo of Bernadette, looking beautiful in a white gown.

"I'm still in shock," he says.

Sometimes, he says, he feels like giving up. He'd return to Irelandin a moment if he could have her back, but he will fight on for hischildren.

"For Bernie and I, our struggle has always been to remain inAmerica so our kids could have a better life than we had. She'dwant me to keep fighting. And I will," he says, taking one lastglance at the courthouse. "I don't know what the future holds. Butthere's still some hope."